Feeding Time Bloghttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com
Making the world a more delicious place, one recipe at a time...Thu, 31 Aug 2017 13:17:38 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngFeeding Time Bloghttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com
An Ethiopian Adventure with Sarah Parfitthttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/an-ethiopian-adventure-with-sarah-parfitt/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/an-ethiopian-adventure-with-sarah-parfitt/#respondTue, 21 Apr 2015 11:46:51 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3300Continue reading →]]>

It’s not often that we get to escape the comfort zone, that’s because it’s nice being comfortable. But once in a while, an opportunity arises that pushes you out into a world that’s very different from your own daily experience. Sarah Parfitt was fortunate enough to have one of these adventures when she went to Gende Tesfa in Eastern Ethiopia for a week. Her goal was to set up a community journalism project and a school link between Holy Trinity School here in Cookham and the Gende Tesfa School. It’s been 30 years since the famine in Ethiopia and Sarah has been doing a lot of fundraising for Partners for Change Ethiopia, a charity established to aid the 1984 crisis in Ethiopia.

Today’s post is about Sarah’s culinary experience in Ethiopia, this is a food blog after all. Considering the country was plunged into famine in recent history, it’s interesting to look at how and what the villagers are eating today and it gives us a chance to reflect and compare their eating habits to our own abundant, often wasteful ones. Sarah enjoyed the privilege of spending time in Gende Tesfa with a local family.

Sarah, can you describe meal time with an Ethiopian family?

Generally speaking you will sit on the floor, but if you are a guest you will be found something to sit on. Typically people live in one room and so it can be very cramped. Somebody will come round with a bowl and some water, they will pour it on your hands – sometimes there is soap. It is part of the ceremony of eating in Ethiopia. Then everybody shakes their hands dry – there aren’t any towels.People eat with their hands – most meals come with the Ethiopian version of bread called injera. It is like a spongy pancake – made with a grain that is only grown in Ethiopia called teff. It is highly nutritious and normally served flat on a big round dish. On top of the injera they serve different types of stews, usually lamb or beef but most people can’t afford meat so they have a lentil stew. People will then tear off bits of the pancake and make little parcels with the sauce and pop it into their mouths.

Everybody shares the from the same plate, helping themselves to more of the pancake (if there is any) which is placed on the side of the main dish in fat little rolls. If you are a guest and have stopped eating the hosts will force feed you saying ‘gursha’ as they push injera and sauce into your mouth!

What were some of the more confronting elements of eating in Ethiopia?

It is very difficult sometimes because when you visit a house (which is normally a one room shack) people insist on offering you food. You know they don’t have much and feel terrible taking what little they have, but you cannot offend them by refusing. It’s a humbling experience and a lesson in generosity we can all learn from.

Hygiene can be challenging. Most people don’t have running water and the water they do have may not be totally clean. Ethiopian digestion has adapted to this and they have a higher tolerance but foreigners can experience real stomach problems. But it’s a risk you take in order not to cause offence.

What were some of the most memorable eating experiences from your trip?

The first day I was invited to go to the Chicken House in Dire Dawa with a colleague from PFC Ethiopia. It’s a very popular place in the heart of the city which was buzzing with tuk-tuk drivers. Opposite is the Chicken House is an Ethiopian Orthodox Church where local people chew on khat, a local plant stimulant.

My colleague bought me two chickens. I noticed some feathers flying around and he told me that all the birds were killed on site.

I also had the most amazing night with one of the PFC Ethiopia community volunteers called Selam – she is one of our case studies for the community journalism project. She cooked injera and a bean dish for me, and then organised an Ethiopian coffee ceremony for me (which included popcorn!) and invited friends and family around – it was amazing. I felt very privileged. I spent the night in her home. Even when people have nothing, they give it away…True Ethiopian hospitality, very special indeed.

Can you describe some of the flavours and textures of the food?

Ethiopian food is distinctive. Injera is unlike any other food – and for some people it takes some getting used to. The ground teff is fermented for three days in water and so the taste is a bit sour like sourdough. The texture is odd and a bit spongy and the gray colour can be a bit off-putting for some. Ethiopians are mad for it and it’s a huge part of their culture.

The sauces are normally spicy – most have berbere in them which is a combination of ground chillies, garlic, ginger, basil, korarima, rue, ajwain or radhuni, nigella, and fenugreek. You can smell berbere as soon as you get off the plane when you arrive in Ethiopia. Berbere and roasting coffee are the smells of Ethiopia and accompany you wherever you travel in the country.

If you’re curious about the sound of Ethiopia, listen to Haymanot Tesfa sing. Haymanot is an Ethiopian born artist who performs regularly in London to promote cultural awareness and supporting PFC. She sang recently in the House of Commons for a PFC event which Sarah also attended.

I love the look of beetroot. I like the way the dirty root bulbs belie the firm, bloody flesh inside. Beetroots are another one of those vegetables that we don’t each much of but are packed with bioflavonoids and other fun things that we’re told is good for us. But aside from that, they taste good and this recipe is great way to get more of those unfashionable vegetables like parsnip and carrot into your diet in the most delicious way.

You can serve these fritters up with anything from cucumber raita, yoghurt dip, sweet chilli sauce or some date and tamarind sauce. Yoghurt dips can be created by swirling your favourite condiment into some Greek yoghurt (I only use FAGE). You can use the date and tamarind or sweet chilli sauce, mango chutney or even Piccalilli. The yoghurt cuts the density of the flavour and makes it feel a little more special.

In terms of flavouring these fritters, I’ve listed coriander as a herb, but you could just as easily replace it with dill or parsley, depending on your taste. This recipe can be easily halved if you’re only cooking for one or two people.

Method:
Grate all the vegetables into a bowl.
Add the onions, herbs and spices, egg and flour and mix well.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry spoonfuls of the mix.
Fry on a medium heat to ensure the vegetables are cooked through and not burning on the outside.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/spiced-root-vegetable-fritters/feed/0larac78IMG_6506IMG_6481Bee-sting Choux Bunshttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/bee-sting-choux-buns/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/bee-sting-choux-buns/#commentsTue, 07 Apr 2015 13:10:49 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3290Continue reading →]]>I celebrated my 14th wedding anniversary recently and as you might guess, for such an ordinary number and because it was karate night, we did nothing. Well, we said we’d do nothing but AT bought me some lovely long-stem roses, and I made him some choux pastry. And yes, it was looking as boring as it sounds, so, like George and his medicine, I came up with something marvellous.

I’d intended to fill the profiteroles with custard, but as I bit into my test subject I was reminded of a much beloved German Bee-Sting cake. Without the need to bake an entire cake, I managed to re-created the important parts of this recipe with much less hassle. A little bit of cream and some flaked almonds is all you need to transform boring old profiteroles into something truly delectable.

Bienenstich is a traditional German recipe, which is made by baking a cake of sweet yeast dough, and then filling it with cream and custard and topping it with caramelised honey almonds. These mini choux buns taste almost like the real thing, and can be made rather last-minute if you’ve got the motivation and make a lovely alternative to the typical choux pastry fare. Plus, once you’ve had a taste of this amazing honey-almond caramel – you’ll be trying to think of more things you can spread it on, like cakes, ice cream, brioche…

Method:For the choux buns
In your stand mixing bowl, mix the flour and sugar.
Bring the butter and water to the boil in a saucepan and take off the heat as soon as it comes to the boil.
Pour the hot mixture into the flour and mix with the dough hook until a dough forms and starts to pull away from the sides.
Now pour the eggs in slowly as the machine kneads the dough. The mixture will become wet and glossy.
When it’s all mixed in and smooth, put aside.
Grab a baking tray and sprinkle some water on to it, shake of any excess. This helps to create some steam and a nice rise in the pastry.
Put heaped teaspoons of the mixture on to the tray, nicely spaced. Then bake for 5-10 minutes.
Then turn the heat up to 220C and keep baking until nicely puffed and golden.
Take out of oven and prick straight away to release any steam. Cool on a rack.

For the honey almond glaze
Pour the butter, cream, sugar and honey into a sauce pan and bring to the boil.
Simmer until the caramel becomes a little bit golden. Add the almonds and stir in.
The mixture should be runny, but will harden as it cools.

To assemble
Slice the buns in half and keep all the tops together.
Spread the almond mix on top of all the tops and place under a hot grill to burnish and firmly set the glaze. This bit is a little bit fiddly. Heat them until the colour comes up and the caramel sizzles a bit. Let these cool on a tray.
Spread a layer of thickly whipped cream to the bases, followed by a dollop of firm vanilla custard. I used Waitrose fresh Madagascan vanilla custard – which held together nicely inside the delicate buns.
Finish by adding the cooled, glazed tops and you’re done.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/bee-sting-choux-buns/feed/2larac78IMG_6301roseThe Blackwood Arms Burnhamhttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/the-blackwood-arms-burnham/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/the-blackwood-arms-burnham/#respondMon, 30 Mar 2015 09:13:59 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3285Continue reading →]]>Since moving to Cookham, we’ve been exploring the areas north of Maidenhead, driving along dark lanes to find pubs buried in the woodland, and so on the advice of one of AT’s work colleagues, we tried a new pub on the weekend. It’s called The Blackwood Arms and is secreted between Littleworth Common and Twelve Acre wood on the outskirts of Burnham Beeches. Close to Dorney Wood, The Blackwood Arms has been the local watering hole for Chancellors, not far from Cliveden it was also a secret meeting place for the Profumo lovers, and with a classic country pub ambience, a good selection of ales and excellent food on offer – it’s no surprise that one visit, is all it takes, to make the Blackwood Arms your new favourite pub.

The bar was decorated with hops, a wonderful tradition that you don’t see much around this area, and the flames of the open fire were roaring making this pub a place you want to be on a cool, dark night. Daffodils greet the guests at each table, along with trivia cards and menus. I was adventurous and ordered the ale taster, that comprised a selection of three Brakspear ales. With at least five ales on offer for most of the year, along with ciders, lagers and draught Guinness, The Blackwood Arms appeared in the Guinness Book of Records for serving the most different real ales- a total of 1003 ales – in one year and won the CAMRA ‘Publican of the Year’ award in 2012. But it’s not just the beer that’s good – it’s the food. We tried the hand-raised pork pie for starters, which was enormous, and meant we could barely fit in our main meals which were also generous serves. AT had the lamb rump and I had the beef and ale pie, both delicious, home-made and served with loads of fresh, perfectly cooked vegetables, the boys had burgers and chips made with 100% beef mince.

The website claims that at The Blackwood Arms, they are passionate about serving ‘home-made traditional and seasonal pub food‘ and by golly they can stand by that claim because it’s all true. The chefs at The Blackwood Arms are making their food with a love and enthusiasm that is rarely witnessed these days and it was a delight to eat, drink and spend an evening there. The staff are friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is second to none. It would be one of the first places I would take any visitors from Australia or otherwise, because it really does feel like the quintessential British pub. The Blackwood Arms is warmly welcoming and the sort of pub that you could spend all afternoon in.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/the-blackwood-arms-burnham/feed/0larac78IMG_6297IMG_6296Home Espresso Blends and the Third Wavehttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/home-espresso-blends-and-the-third-wave/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/home-espresso-blends-and-the-third-wave/#commentsTue, 24 Mar 2015 09:29:36 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3274Continue reading →]]>Apparently we’re in the midst of the third wave coffee movement. This was news to me. I didn’t even know there were waves where coffees were concerned but it turns out that things are moving pretty quickly and there’s whispers of a Fourth Wave. Sort of like feminism I suppose, but much less important (to some), the development of coffee culture throughout the western world has become a rather serious affair. I recently found out that it wasn’t my national pride swelling but an acknowledged fact that Australians are considered the frontier folk of good coffee. So I guess what I’m really trying to say is that ‘I should know’ when it comes to coffee (irony intended).

All jokes aside, while I’m not a fan of placing coffee too high on anyone’s list of life priorities, I do enjoy a good brew. But, I also drink Nescafe. And, when I’m desperate I’ll wince my way through a Starbucks. A girl’s gotta do. And so this post comes to you with a grain of salt and teaspoon of Demerara sugar (sorry, couldn’t help it) and I hope it comes as some welcome advice for anyone with a manual coffee machine in their home.

I dedicated a post, many years ago, to our Gaggia Classic – a trooper that is still going strong after seventeen years of daily use, and if you have a similar machine, then you can use this advice. There is not a lot of coffee sold retail in the UK, that is ground for espresso machines. For those who don’t live in London, this statement rings painfully true. Sure, you can order gourmet coffee, ground to spec online and through various outlets but it is a very expensive way to enjoy good coffee at home. Sadly, I’m not in a position to dedicate 10% of my weekly budget to gourmet blends and so it was with glee that I discovered another coffee to add to my list of larder favourites.

For our machine, our taste and our budget, we use the Waitrose brand pre-ground espresso coffee and Taylors brand espresso blend. Both are below the £4 mark, and both are perfectly suited to our coffee machine. But recently I bought a packet of James Gourmet. Peter James has been roasting coffee at Ross on Wye, Herefordshire since 1999 and continues to offer an excellent range of coffees at good prices. I found James’ coffee at Dorney Court Kitchen Garden Cafe and you can also buy it online.

We tried the Formula 6 blend and while the grind was slightly too fine for our machine, which means that it takes longer for the coffee to trickle out of the group, it won’t stop me from buying it again because the flavour of the coffee was truly special. I’ve never tasted anything like this blend – it was fruity but it had a cooler, berry-vibe as opposed to the big round fruit flavour that’s so popular these days. It’s always good to support a business that’s not too far away, that works hard to maintain excellence across all aspects, selling a product that was only slightly more expensive than the big supermarket blends, and might I add, well worth every extra penny.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/home-espresso-blends-and-the-third-wave/feed/2larac78IMG_6140coffeeCosmic Donutshttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/cosmic-donuts/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/cosmic-donuts/#respondMon, 16 Mar 2015 13:15:06 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3262Continue reading →]]>Can you imagine how Stephen Hawking must have felt when the concept for the expanding universe dawned on him? Or how Tesla might have felt when he first realised the potential of wireless technology? That’s kind of how it was for me when I bit into some donuts that I made last week. It was like time and space was bending, the ether opened up and whispered to me the secrets of the universe and the cosmic recipe for the best donuts ever made.

You might think I’m exaggerating, but perhaps you’ve never tried to make donuts at home, or experienced the acute disappointment of biting into that disc of fried dough that you’ve lovingly crafted, only to realise that you’ll never put Krispy Kreme out of business. I’ve made donuts and fritters of all kinds in the past, and never once have I reached the level of lightness and texture that I achieved with this recipe. It took some tweaking and research. Risks were taken.

Don’t attempt this recipe if you don’t have a stand mixer because the dough is too wet too handle without automated assistance, and furthermore, you need the luxury to be able to make mistakes. When you’ve hand-kneaded dough, chances are you won’t take failure as lightly as if you’ve pressed a button and watched the machine make a few rotations. The key to this sort of baking is to go with your instinct. Know your dough; when it’s not wet enough or too wet, when it’s ready to be proved. Know when to add a little more flour or water to get the mix right. Knowing these things will help your chances of success in this chaotic world of home-made donuts.

Once you’ve mastered this recipe – you’ll realise that these donuts are not at all difficult to make. The dough is a pleasure to handle, cutting the shapes is easy and the frying is not fiddly or messy and the results, well, they speak for themselves.

Recommended listening for this recipe: Anything by MGMT but it has to be the track Flash Delirium when you bite into the donut for the first time and time and space lose all meaning.

Method:
Put the butter, egg, salt and sugar into your mixing bowl and mix to combine, using the paddle.
Swap to the dough hook, and then add flour, yeast and warm water.
Work the mixture until it forms a wet, sticky dough. It’s ok to add more flour or water if you think it needs it.
It takes about 5 minutes until the dough starts to finally pull away from the edges of the bowl. That’s how you know it’s ready to go. I don’t know the ramifications of over-kneading, but I’m sure it won’t be too detrimental. It’s my experience that the strengthening proteins (the way the dough will spring back and hold together) is the pathway to lighter dough.
Let the dough prove for 2 hrs. It should double in size.
Roll the dough out on to a floured surface to about half an inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut larger circles and then a small one to punch out the hole.
Place the rings and holes on tray lined with baking paper and leave to prove for another hour.
Heat oil to 180C and fry the donuts, about 3 at a time is fine.
For sugared donuts, roll them while they’re still hot in the sugar and cinnamon mix. For the glazed, let them cool to room temp.
Make the glaze with icing sugar, warmed milk and vanilla, mixed to a thin consistency. You’ll need a few coats.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/cosmic-donuts/feed/0IMG_5826larac78IMG_5826IMG_6131Pozolehttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/pozole/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/pozole/#commentsThu, 12 Mar 2015 14:26:07 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3254Continue reading →]]>You probably don’t know what pozole is. I didn’t until recently. In fact I’ll admit that I’m embarrassed at how little I know about Mexican cuisine – despite the fact that I love Mexican-style food so much. Note I’ve used the word ‘style’ because it’s not Mexican food that I’ve always loved, it’s really something else. Call it Tex-Mex, call it what you like but it’s a match made in heaven and sadly the closest thing we’ll get to eating Mexican food outside of Mexico. Corn chips, cheesy dips, anaemic guacamole and Old El Paso packet mixes are about as Mexican as sweet and sour pork is Chinese. And while I absolutely love nachos piled high with cheese and sour cream, it is nothing compared to the life-changing Mexican meal I made last Saturday night.

I say life-changing because there were so many culinary doors opened that night. I discovered the secret world of chiles. Not the bombastic hot spice that you shake from a jar – but the nuanced, rich and remarkable flavour hiding inside the dried Guajillo chiles that I rehydrated and mixed with garlic, cloves, cumin and onion to make a paste that forms the basis of the traditional Mexican stew. Pozole is an ancient ceremonial dish, made by the people who lived in the area we now know as Mexico. It’s made with chicken or pork, chili paste, hominy and served with lime, lettuce, cabbage or radishes, salsa and topped off with crispy tostadas.

Hominy is another old world ingredient that is not widely known about here in the UK, or indeed back home in Australia. Like the old mature peas you find in the split pea packets, hominy is made from dried mature corn grain and is larger, whiter and more flavoursome than the sweet baby corn that we eat straight off the cob. The grains are soaked in a diluted solution of lye which is known as nixtamalisation, a way to treat food using alkalines which not only improves the texture and flavour of the maize but also improves its nutritional value. The process also stabilises the corn allowing it to be made into dough used in tortillas, tostadas and tamales. Before you sniff at yet another example of foolish food tweaking – you might like to know that Aztecs and Mayan’s were rocking this method over 3000 years ago.

I always feel a little sheepish when I ‘discover’ food that people have been enjoying for thousands of years. And doubly so in this instance because I know that my pozole experience is just the tip of the tostada (couldn’t resist that, sorry) because I know my repertoire will become so much richer and varied once I familiarise myself with this exciting cuisine. I was able to enjoy my pozole meal thanks to Mexgrocer.co.uk who sent me a pozole kit to try at home. Mexgrocer.co.uk are an online store for authentic Mexican food and they’re set to launch another venture called MexImport.co.uk which will hopefully see the arrival of some proper Mexican ingredients on the shelves of our local supermarkets.

In truth, I wasn’t sure if I liked the taste of the hominy in the pot, and I knew that I could have made the stew stronger in flavour but I was easing into the Guajillos – I didn’t want to blow anyone’s head off with chili heat. But once I tried the pozole with it’s intended accompaniment including lime juice, shallots, coriander, crisp lettuce and home-made salsa I was lost for words. I had never eaten a meal with such depth, flavour, palate stimulation, freshness and warmth. Pozole is a thing of beauty and a culinary legacy that the people of Mexico and surrounds should be proud of. I found my recipe online, verified it with several other sites and no doubt I will be tweaking it to be more efficient. This is not for the inexperienced cook, even though it is a simple recipe. There are a few steps and you will have to learn your own best practise in drawing out the most flavour from the chiles and pairing it with the accompaniments of your preference. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can use regular chili powder. If you can’t get your hands on the right ingredients then hit the Mexgrocer website.

Recommended listening for this recipe: Feast of Wire by Calexico, Bossa Cubana by Los Zafiros.

For the accompaniments
Limes, halved
sliced shallots or spanish onion
Coriander leaves
Crisp tostadas
shredded Romaine or iceberg lettuce
sliced radishes
refried beans
home-made salsa
home-made guacamoleMethod:
Simmer the prepared chile, just covered in water for about 10 minutes and allow to cool.
In the mean time, bring the chicken, onion, coriander, garlic to the boil. Simmer for about half an hour. Once cooled, get the chicken off the bones and put aside. Keep the broth.
Once the chile water is cooled down a bit, put the rehydrated chiles, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, sugar and cloves into a small food processor (or I use a stick blender) and blitz with about half a cup of the chile water. Sieve the mixture into a jug or plate to get a smooth paste.
Cook the paste (or use half if you’re worried about too much heat) in a large pot, on low heat for about 5 minutes, to release the flavours a bit more. Then throw in the cooked chicken thighs, about 2 cups of hominy, oregano and the strained broth that you cooked the chicken in.
Cook on low for about half an hour to let the flavours develop, the hominy soften and the chicken to cook down further. Simmer until there is not too much liquid left. If you want deeper flavour, cook for longer, topping up with more water.
When it’s ready the chicken should be shredded in the stew, the hominy should be soft to eat and the flavours just right.
Serve with lime juice, shredded lettuce, radishes, fresh coriander, chopped shallots and home-made guacamole or salsa. The tostadas are optional, as is refried beans – which is one of the typical accompaniments.

Here are the rules. Think of it like Fight Club but instead of fighting to escape spiritual somnambulance we’re fighting to escape the disappointment of below-average chocolate muffins. We’re fighting to make a chocolate muffin that rises above the ordinary, sets the bar, goes beyond…
This is a good recipe, but with care and love it can achieve greatness.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl (except the chocolate).
Whisk/beat the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate).
Combine the two gently, adding the chocolate. Do not overmix.
Spoon into patty cases, makes around 10-12 small muffins, or 6-8 enormous muffins.
Bake for ten minutes at 190C, then turn heat down to 170C.
Bake until JUST cooked. Use a skewer to test that the inside is cooked.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/double-chocolate-muffins/feed/0larac78IMG_5806Educational Eating in Scotlandhttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/learn-by-eating/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/learn-by-eating/#respondFri, 20 Feb 2015 12:59:03 +0000http://feedingtimeblog.com/?p=3240Continue reading →]]>So you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the person who crossed 3 borders and drove for most of a day over rough terrain to eat cevapi in Sarajevo, also travelled for 6 hours in a train and spent 3 nights in Edinburgh to do nothing else but eat. I’m not kidding. I didn’t see sites, I didn’t enter one museum and I did not learn a single thing that I did not absorb via my digestive tract. But surely I can be forgiven? I’ve been to Edinburgh before, I’ve witnessed the fine city during Fringe Festival and taken my kids up Arthur’s Seat (well…half way up). It’s the city I’ve been to the most in my travels but this time, we would experience it through food.

This trip was all about spending time with my brother and his lassy and sampling the vittles of Scotland’s cultural jewel. Because the places we stopped at were spread across the city, we spent most of the time walking to get to the next food stop, around 10km per day. Like London, Edinburgh is more of a global community than a singularly Scottish city. The transitory melting pot of immigrants, students and visitors is evident in the food scene. There is such a broad and growing variety of food in Edinburgh and it really reminds me of Sydney in the way it has embraced those international influences. Their coffee too is top notch. Once again we spent some quality time in Brew Lab and this time I noticed that behind the front counter it really is like a little laboratory with scales and equipment, contraptions and flasks. Who knew coffee could be so complicated?

We walked many miles to eat at The Pantry in Stockbridge. The build-your-own-breakfast appealed to my brother and his squeeze, as they are vegans. In fact their veganism shaped our foodie pilgrimage in many ways, good ways. We got to discover the places that offer solid vegetarian fare. In my experience, it’s these very places that have more creative menus, higher quality ingredients and a consistently welcoming and accommodating atmosphere. It was our meal at The Pantry that has sparked an idea to create my own vegetarian haggis and get more creative with vegetables. Hopefully you’ll see some of these inspired recipes pop up in the coming weeks.

After breakfast that day wandered into the Stockbridge Sunday Markets. It was there that I found the most impressive cake stalls. One had the most delightful display of cup cakes, made by Annwen from the Vanilla Cream Bakery, and another was bursting with German delicacies like Bienenstich(bee sting)and other baked fancies including creme buns and pastries. I bought two sweeties to enjoy with the view at Edinburgh’s half-finished folly (AKA The National Monument of Scotland) on Calton Hill. And speaking of baked treats, we also enjoyed the Swedish pastries infused with cinnamon and cardamon at Peter’s Yard, a chain famous for their crisp bread and sourdough pizzas.

Because there was a football game on the weekend we were in Edinburgh, we didn’t get a chance to do much pub-hopping but we did make up for it in our day-trip to Glasgow. On the advice of a friend who’s opinion I regard, we tried out a few different places to graze throughout the day. We started with The Laurieston. In the words of this friend, The Laurieston is essential for a ‘totally authentic Glasgow experience‘. It is not pretty on the outside, but once you step inside you become enveloped in a vintage haven of beer and crisps, replete with untouched 60’s decor and a warm and welcoming ambience. AT couldn’t help but try the pie and peas, a hark back to his time playing the snare in a pipe band and we all enjoyed an ale and some crisps.

Our next stop was the Inn Deep pub, down in the basement we enjoyed lunch and more ale. And then we moved on to Stravaigin to enjoy a post-beer whiskey. Aberlour was on sale, so it was the obvious choice and it was a shame we didn’t eat there because they’ve got an exciting menu that can include grey squirrel, rook, hedgerow herbs and sea urchins. Perhaps next time. Beside the roasting fire, nestled amongst the ambient lighting and refined crowd, we sipped on our single malts reflecting on the day. While we might not have seen any of Glasgow’s ‘sites’, we experienced its true character through our bellies. We learned that Glasgow is a vibrant city, full of local people with a hunger for the world outside and yet with hearts proudly rooted in their heritage. While it might not be an obviously beautiful city like Edinburgh, Glasgow keeps its abundant treasures hidden beneath unassuming facades and in the hearts of the community. It’s the genuinely warm, interested and welcoming people that make Glasgow an equally handsome jewel in Scotland’s crown.

]]>https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/learn-by-eating/feed/0larac78IMG_6069IMG_6084IMG_6072IMG_6095IMG_6096Mushroom Risottohttps://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/mushroom-risotto/
https://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/mushroom-risotto/#respondTue, 10 Feb 2015 01:55:20 +0000http://feedingfamily.wordpress.com/?p=1241Continue reading →]]>I was recently made aware of #mancrushmonday. I’m in the process of creating a Top 10 list to share with my sister and yes; Gary Oldman, Mark Strong and Mads Mikkelsen if you’re reading this – you will make the cut. And speaking of hash tags, I made up my own one for the boys yesterday in the wake of a Horrible Histories overload. It’s called #noTVintheafternoonmonday. It was not a hit.

But while we’re on the topic of popularity and hash tags, this post falls in line with the #meatfreemonday. Except it’s not Monday. But it would have been if I’d have written this yesterday. Meat Free Monday is sort of like a movement that encourages people to less meat. You can read about it on the website, it’s endorsed by loads of celebrities and statistics but in the end it’s just another way to help British people eat their five a day. Did you know that in Australia it’s 7-a-day, in Denmark it’s 6-a-day and in the States it’s 9-a-day? Zoe Harcombe has written an interesting article on this campaign in her blog, Diet, Obesity, Nutrition & Big Business. Zoe questions the status quo in terms of food and policy development, drawing connections and pointing out conflict of interests, her agenda is combating obesity.

If you’re looking for something hearty, tasty and filling, then a mushroom risotto ticks all the boxes. Don’t be fooled into thinking you need dairy to make a creamy risotto. With the exception of a little bit of butter and Parmesan, risottos do not need cream or sour cream or anything like that. Risottos are made creamy by the starch in the rice and the cooking technique. The grains that contain the most starch are arborio, vialone nano and carnaroli and the important details of the technique is the sautéing of the rice before adding liquid, and the gradual adding of liquid.

Mixed Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Ingredients:
Lots of mushrooms, all kinds (the weirder ones usually have the best flavour)
1-2 cups of arborio rice (depending on how many mushrooms you have and how many people you’re feeding)
1/2 cup White wine (vermouth or sherry will do)
1 L Chicken stock
1 Mushroom stock cube (or porcini’s steeped in boiling water)
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
Handful of chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese.

Method:
Saute the chopped up mushrooms in some butter, put aside.
In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in some butter and olive oil.
Add the rice and stir for a minute or two.
Pour in the wine and cook off till evaporated.
Throw the mushrooms back in.
Add the stock in small batches, letting it evaporate each time until the rice is cooked to your liking.
When cooked, stir through the parsley, cheese and season with lots of black pepper.
Make sure there is a little liquid left in the rice, you want it moist but not wet.